Access denied! Is the Mazda CX-50 the Subaru XV and Subaru Outback sweet spot Australians crave but are destined to never drive?

Now that we know about the Mazda CX-50 after its mid-November global unveiling, more questions than answers are raised.

Why isn’t it coming to Australia? Is there something not right about the new crossover? Perhaps a better option is waiting for us?

The fact is, heading into 2022, nothing available anywhere in the world would be more in tune with current Australian consumer tastes. 

An affordable small-to-medium-sized SUV? With a rugged and sporty off-road attitude? Good looks matched by high-quality engineering? And a soon-to-be-available petrol-electric hybrid powertrain option? Check, check, check and check.  

It’s as if the Mazda is in the sweet spot of everything that’s going gangbusters right now.

Delving in a little bit deeper, the CX-50 is like the adored lovechild between a Subaru XV and Subaru Outback Wilderness, offering the chunky urban-focused designed of the former with the family friendly packaging of the latter. It’s like a Forester that hasn’t flunked beauty school.

Mazda has already revealed that the CX-30 will be joined by evolved versions of the brand’s existing global bestseller, the CX-5, as well as a slew of all-new, longitudinal-engined rear-drive and AWD-based larger SUVs, starting with the CX-60 and bigger CX-80, and extending to the CX-70 and CX-90 three-row crossover offshoots.

Interestingly, the new Mazda isn’t just a raised CX-30 or CX-5 with a few extra crossover clichés grafted on either, due to the fact that it features extended capabilities “to enable drivers to venture further into the outdoors and various terrains”. These include a new multi-mode drive-select system for off-road conditions and increased towing capacity.

The CX-50’s body is all-new and shares no exterior panels with the other transverse-engine small cars and SUVs in the Japanese brand’s line-up. A concerted effort to strengthen the monocoque body means the roof, B-pillars and door jambs have been beefed up – handy for accessories like roof racks. Additionally, it debuts Mazda’s first-ever panoramic sunroof option (at last!).

There’s more too. Related to the existing Mazda3 and CX-30, it promises to drive every bit as well, especially with the optional 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine on higher-end grades, in lieu of the (albeit still sparkling) 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated powertrain that’s set to be standard.

The CX-50 is also backed up by an upmarket interior with enough class to woo Mercedes-Benz GLA, BMW X2 or even Audi A4 Allroad customers Hiroshima’s way.

Except, of course, Australia will not be seeing the CX-50. Not this one, anyway, and not in the foreseeable future. What’s gone wrong and why?

The official reason is economics.

Firstly, with production beginning at the same Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA (MTMUS) plant in Alabama (USA) as the Corolla Cross, the aim is to satiate expected high North American-market demand only. It seems Mazda reckons there won’t be any meaningful supply left for export anywhere else anyway.

Secondly, we understand that the CX-50 will be as wide as a CX-9, which puts it at around 1935mm – or almost two metres in girth. In contrast, the CX-30 (and closely-related MX-30) measures in at a slim 1795mm. These are substantial differences.

Now, while – like Americans and Canadians – Australians and South African buyers are partial to that sort of generous sizing, it’s a very different matter for the two other key right-hand-drive markets, the United Kingdom and Japan. Both feature narrow streets and high-congestion cities that favour narrower vehicles. And, predictably, without the big added sales number potential that the latter two provide, the CX-50 is destined to remain a left-hand-drive only proposition for now. Even though it shares so much familial DNA with the other Mazdas.

Mazda’s beancounters, then, have won the battle (initially, at least). But a pros and cons ledger cannot truly convey the mood of the market, and today the SUV and crossover are the kings and queens of new-vehicle sales.

A quick glance at the 2021 (year to date) figures in Australia shows how XV is as popular as ever, rising by 27.5 per cent over the same time in 2020, to almost 9000 registrations, to put it amongst the bestsellers in that category. Keep in mind, too, that the Subaru’s small SUV segment is up 33%, while the light SUV class below it has nearly doubled its volume at 88%.

And that’s before considering the immense and enduring success enjoyed by the Toyota RAV4 – which offers a similarly rugged ‘Edge’ variant. That’s now the bestselling non-truck vehicle in Australia, rocketing towards 35,000 sales for 2021. No manufacturer or importer wants to miss out on a slice of this popular pie.

Tantalisingly, CarsGuide understands a raised and rugged CX-50-style crossover from Hiroshima may be in the future pipeline, and adding that all parts of the market will eventually be covered.

Until that happens, the closest way Australians have to this attractive and intriguing crossover is a trip across the Pacific Ocean away.  

If you’re in the market for a rugged and raised urban crossover like the Subaru XV or Outback, would you consider a Mazda CX-50 as well? Let us know.